Acts 15

Acts 15:1

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

(a) Some men. These men are known in scripture as the “party of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:12) or “those of the circumcision” (Tit. 1:10), but we know them as Judaizers. Paul also referred to them as dogs, evil workers, and the false circumcision (Php. 3:2). They taught that non-Jewish believers had to adopt Jewish customs such as circumcision in order to be saved. Paul vigorously refuted this idea and insisted that we are saved by grace alone (Acts 15:2, Eph. 2:5–8). Peter agreed (Acts 15:11) and so did James (Acts 15:19, 24–25).

(b) The custom of Moses. Circumcision originated with Abraham (Gen. 17:9–11) but these men refer to it as the custom of Moses. They are not interested in the grace given to Abraham, but the law given to Moses. Circumcision is just the first step. “Just do this one little thing for Jesus.” It was the thin edge of a bad wedge. Paul warned there would be more law to follow. “Every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law” (Gal. 5:3).

Acts 15:2

And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.

(a) Paul. This was the third of at least five visits Paul made to Jerusalem after his conversion; see entry for Acts 9:26.

(b) Barnabas; see entry for Acts 9:27.

(c) Elders. An elder or overseer is responsible for shepherding the church. See entry for 1 Tim. 5:17.

Acts 15:4

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

The church in Jerusalem had been so severely persecuted that all the Christians fled, except the apostles (Acts 8:1). But like a well-pruned tree, the church grew and thrived again.

Acts 15:5

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”

The Law of Moses refers to the commandments, ordinances, punishments, and ceremonial observances given to the nation of Israel through Moses (Jos. 8:31, John 1:17, 7:19). This law is sometimes referred to as the law of commandments (Eph. 2:15) or the law of the Jews (Acts 25:8). See entry for The Law.

Acts 15:7

After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.

(a) Hear the word of the gospel and believe. Faith comes from hearing the good news of Jesus Christ (see entry for Rom. 10:17).

(b) The gospel refers to the gospel of Christ or the gospel of God or the gospel of the kingdom. These are all different labels for the gospel of grace. See entry for The Gospel.

(c) Believe. Like Jesus before them, the apostles preached for a verdict (Mark 1:15). We are to believe the gospel. Believing the good news about Jesus is both the work of God and his command (John 6:29, 1 John 3:23).

Acts 15:9

and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

Cleansing their hearts by faith. All of God’s blessings, including forgiveness, salvation, righteousness and sanctification, come to us freely by grace and are received by faith. Faith does not compel God to forgive us or sanctify us. But faith is the conduit through which grace flows. See entry for Eph. 2:8.

Acts 15:10

“Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

(a) Disciples. The first Christians called themselves disciples or followers, which was a holdover from the time when people followed Jesus. However, none of the New Testament epistle writers used this word. See entry for Acts 6:1.

(b) Yoke. The yoke refers to the burdensome demands of the Law of Moses, which Paul called a yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:10).

In contrast with the light and easy yoke of Jesus (Matt. 11:28–30), the yoke of law is too heavy to bear (Acts 15:10). If your walk with God is characterized by pressure to perform, weariness, and a lack of joy, that is a sign that you are under the wrong yoke.

Acts 15:11

“But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

(a) Saved through the grace. We are not forgiven, saved, or made right on account of anything we have done (Rom. 11:6, 2 Tim: 1:9); we are saved because God loves us and out of the goodness he did what needed to be done to rescue us from our captivity to sin (Eph. 2:7). Salvation is entirely of God (Php. 1:28, Rev. 19:1). See entry for Salvation.

(b) The grace of the Lord Jesus refers to the grace of God that comes to us through his Son (John 1:16–17).

(c) In the same way, that is, by faith.

Acts 15:13

After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me.

James the Just, the step-brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55, Mark 6:3, Gal. 1:19). As a younger man, James did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah (John 7:5). However, after the risen Lord appeared to him (1 Cor. 15:7), James became a new man. Later he became the letter-writing leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13, 21:18, 25, Gal. 2:9). According to Josephus, James was martyred for his faith in AD62 (Antiquities, 20.9.1).

James takes the lead here in the Jerusalem Council and it is soon clear that in the matter of circumcision and law he is of the same mind as Paul, Barnabas, and Peter. There was no division among the apostles. Peter had known for years that God accepted the Gentiles (Acts 2:17, 10:34), while James was one of the first apostles to meet with Paul after his conversion (Acts 9:27). Much of what James says in the following verses about circumcision, idol food, and sexual immorality mirrors what Paul would later write in his epistles. There is not the slightest suggestion that the Jerusalem apostles needed to be convinced by the apostles from Antioch about God’s acceptance of the Gentiles and his grace for all people. The only source of division came from the party of the circumcision.

Acts 15:19

“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,

Do not trouble those who are turning to God. Do not put them under law. James was saying the same thing as Paul (Rom. 6:14–15).

Acts 15:20

but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.

(a) Abstain from things contaminated by idols. In idol-worshipping cultures, meat that had been offered to idols was often sold for public consumption (1 Cor. 10:25). This raised several issues for Christians, the first of which was, is it okay to eat this meat? To this question James said no.

Living in Jerusalem in a church full of ex-Jews, the consumption of idol meat was not a major issue. The Jews abhorred idols and had little to do with them. But in the Greek-speaking cities the situation was very different. When Paul travelled to Athens, he found a “city full of idols” (Acts 17:16). Gentile believers had to deal with a host of questions that the Jews never faced. For this reason Paul devoted at least four chapters to the subject of idol food (Rom. 14, 1 Cor. 8–10).

A Gentile convert had been exposed to idol worship his entire life. Could such a person continue to buy meat from the market if there was a chance that meat had been offered to idols? Paul said it depends (see entry for 1 Cor. 8:9).

(b) Fornication. Sexual immorality. Again, James is saying the same things Paul says in his letters. “Have nothing to do with sexual immorality (Eph. 5:3, Col. 3:5).

Sexual immorality is degrading. It diminishes us and destroys marriages, families, reputations, careers, and ministries. It is the driving force behind the evils of trafficking and sexual slavery, and as children of God we are to have nothing to do with it. Like Joseph in Potiphar’s house, we are to “flee immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18).

Acts 15:21

“For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

Moses… in every city. There were Jewish synagogues and communities all over the world. A Gentile believer who purchased meat that had been offered to idols and then brought that meat to a church meal would create a stumbling block for their Jewish brethren. For the sake of unity, it was best not to do it. Paul said the same thing (Rom. 14:13).

Acts 15:23

and they sent this letter by them,
“The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.

(a) Antioch; see entry for Acts 11:19.

(b) Syria was a Roman province located to the north of Judea. In New Testament times, its capital city was Antioch. Syrians were among the first to respond to Jesus’ ministry (Matt. 4:24).

(c) Cilicia; see entry for Acts 21:39.

Acts 15:24

“Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls,

Some of our number. These are the “certain men from James” that went to Antioch to spy on the freedom of the new believers (Gal. 2:11). These men claimed to come from James, but they belonged to “the party of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:12), which James opposed.

Acts 15:25

it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

Beloved Barnabas and Paul. James leaves no doubts as to who he supports. He wants the Christians in Antioch to know he does not side with the circumcisers, but the apostles of grace.

Acts 15:26

men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(a) Lord. When Jesus walked the earth he was known as Jesus of Nazareth (e.g., Matt. 26:71). But after he ascended to heaven he was given a new name above every name, and that name is Lord (Php. 2:9–11). The original word for Lord (kyrios) means the One who is supreme above all. “You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am” (John 13:13).

(b) Jesus Christ. To refer to Jesus as Christ is to recognize that he is the prophesied Messiah or Rescuer (John 1:41). The word Christ means anointed one. Peter was one of the first to recognize that Jesus was the Christ (Matt 16:16).

Acts 15:29

that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

Abstain from things sacrificed to idols; see entry for Acts 15:20.

Acts 15:35

But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the word of the Lord.

(a) Teaching. Biblical teaching is the ability to reveal Jesus the Living Word of God (Acts 4:2, 13:12, 15:35, 18:11, 28:31, Col. 3:16). Teaching also includes the ability to unpack the scriptures (Acts 2:42).

(b) Preaching. Announcing the good news. The original word for preaching (euaggelizo) is closely related to the word for gospel (euaggelion). This is one of three words that are commonly translated as “preaching” in the New Testament. See entry for Acts 5:42.

(c) The word of the Lord is synonymous with the word of God. The gospel of Jesus, in other words. See entry for Acts 12:24.

Acts 15:39

And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

Disagreement. Perhaps it wasn’t John Mark’s desertion that troubled Paul so deeply, but Barnabas’s. When the Judaizers came to Antioch, the Jewish believers had withdrawn from the Gentile believers and so had Barnabas (Gal. 2:11–13). Peter had swung one way, Paul the other, and Barnabas had gone with Peter. The betrayal from such a close friend would’ve stung Paul deeply. We can only speculate, but it’s possible that Paul was still feeling the pain.

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